A little slice of heaven.

 For the first time in the longest time, I'm snuggled on the couch with a cup of English Breakfast and a Scotch Finger....bliss! Being back at work full time now and juggling all that goes with being a working mummy means that moments like these are few and far between. It also means that I'be neglected you all for far too long. But, I promise that what I'm offering you today with more than make up for it.
This...is ah-mazing.
I give you, my Salted Caramel Cheesecake. I give you not only my Salted Caramel Cheesecake BUT my Salted Caramel Cheesecake with Vanilla Cream and Caramel Sauce! Forgive me, now?

Salted Caramel Cheesecake

500g plain sweet biscuits 

60g almond meal 

150g unsalted butter, melted 

350g ricotta 

500g cream cheese 

175g (1 cup) brown sugar 

4 eggs 

2 tbsp golden syrup 1

/4 tsp table salt 

2 tsp vanilla extract 

250mL pure cream 

240g (1 cup) sour cream 

1 tbsp icing sugar, sifted 

Caramel Sauce 

250mL pure cream 

60g butter, chopped 

175g (1 cup) brown sugar

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees C. Blitz the biscuits and almond meal in a food processor until you have a course crumb.  Add the butter and process to combine.  Press the mixture onto the base and sides of a 20cm springform tin and pop in the freezer while you make the filling.

Using an electric mixer, beat the ricotta and cream cheese for 5 minutes or until very smooth.  Add the sugar and beat for another 3-4 minutes.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, before adding the syrup, salt and 1 tsp vanilla.  Mix until well combined.  

Pour the mixture into the biscuit shell and then place in a large baking tin.  Pour boiling water into the tin so it comes halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan.  Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes or until firm to the touch (with a slight wobble to the centre)  Remove the cheesecake from the baking tin with the water and allow to cool.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, although overnight is best.

Place the cream, sour cream and the remaining teaspoon of vanilla in a mixing bowl and whip to soft peaks.  Swirl the cream across the top of the cool cheesecake.

To make the caramel sauce...Place all ingredients into a saucepan over a low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Increase the heat to high and bring to the boil.  Allow to cook for 5-7 minutes or until thickened.  Set aside and allow to cool.  Serve with the cheesecake.

Love this!

F. x

Birthday Happiness

While I am still patiently awaiting my birthday of 2012, this week marked the birthday of a very special lady - my teaching partner, Mel!  In order to celebrate this exciting event (sadly, I always tend to get more excited about other people's birthday than my own!) a baking fest was in order.  Nothing less than wonderful would do.  Here is what I came up with:  Caramel Maple Mudcakes with Maple and Vanilla Bean Buttercream, topped with a Flaked Almond Praline.  Insanely phenomenal!

These cupcakes tasted absolutely amazing.  A true feast for the tastebuds, not to mention the eyes!  These are simply beautiful and the visual impact when presented is fabulous.  It is very important to bake these lovelies to share, otherwise, you might very well eat the whole lot by yourself (and justifiably so!).  This recipe bakes 12 so I doubled it.  The recipes for the buttercream and praline, however, make considerable amounts so no need to double - perhaps even half them!  You truly will not regret making these cupcakes.  They are special cupcakes, to be prepared for special people.

Caramel Maple Mudcake

60mL maple syrup

160mL milk

120g dark brown sugar

150g unsalted butter, chopped

75g white chocolate

150g P flour

50g S R flour

1 egg

After you've preheated your oven to 160 degrees, place the maple syrup, milk, sugar, butter and chocolate in a saucepan.  Melt over a low heat, stirring continuously.  Once completely melted and combined, pour into your mixing bowl and leave to cool for 15 minutes.  Sift in both flours and mix until just combined. Beat the egg lightly before whisking into batter until smooth.  Divide the mixture between your baking cups.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer (you want a few crumbs on the skewer).  Once out of oven, allow to cool completely.

Maple Vanilla Bean Buttercream

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3 1/2 cups icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract)

2 tsp maple syrup

Whip butter and 3 cups of sifted icing sugar together until smooth and light.  Mix in vanilla bean paste and maple syrup to flavour.  If buttercream is too wet, add remaining icing sugar.

Flaked Almond Praline

1 cup caster sugar

4 tbsp cold water

1/2 cup flaked almonds

Line a large baking tray with baking paper.  Combine sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat.  Stir until sugar has dissolved.

Increase heat to high - no more stirring allowed!  You are permitted to lightly swirl the saucepan once, but that is all.  Boil until mixture turns a deep amber colour.  Remove from heat and leave to sit until bubbles have subsided.  Add almonds.

Pour mixture over baking tray.  You can use a spatula to spread it out to ensure that the praline is nice and thin.  Allow to cool then break praline into shards.

Put it all together and...Voila!

F. x

A Banoffee Moment

In my lovely, food stained, handwritten recipe book, I have a number fail-safe recipes for kitchen basics that I turn to again and again.  This is the case for sweet shortcrust pastry.  I think that it may have originally been a Donna Hay recipe but over the past couple of years, I have tweaked it so that it works just so in my kitchen.  This recipe is just so versatile and easy.  Whip it up in the food processor, bake and then fill with whatever takes you fancy.  It has that perfect buttery bite that you look for in a good shortcrust so I urge you to tuck this little number into your kitchen tool box because there are a few sneaky tips hidden in this recipe.

When looking for a dessert a couple of nights ago, I needed only look as far as the front of my pantry for inspiration: beautiful ripe bananas and sweetened condensed milk.  I very rarely make Banoffee Pie because my best friend, Nicky does such a fantastic rendition of it.  However, I just couldn't go pass it in this instance.  While my pastry was baking in the oven, I whipped up a basic caramel with condensed milk, butter and brown sugar.  As soon as the pastry came out of the oven, I poured in the thick, warm caramel and left to cool completely before putting in the fridge to chill down.  Just before you are ready to serve, whip some cream, fold in some chopped bananas and top with grated chocolate.  Ah-mazing!

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

1 3/4 cups plain flour

1/4 cup icing sugar

125g cold unsalted butter, cubed

1 egg, lightly beaten

Place flour, icing sugar and butter in a food processor and process in short bursts until mixture has a fine crumb consistency.  Add egg and process again, in short bursts until mixture starts to come together - it will still seem quite crumbly.  Turn the mixture onto a floured work surface and press dough together.  If you are making one large tart, bring dough together into a large, thick disc.  If you are making a number of smaller tarts, divide mixture into 2 smaller discs.  Either way, wrap pastry in glad wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.  Roll out dough on a sheet of glad wrap or baking paper (this stops it sticking to your surface), ease into the corners of your buttered dish and trim edges.  I now put the pastry (in the dish/es) into the freezer for 20 minutes.  This removes the need to blind bake with pie weights.  The pastry doesn't puff up when you cook it from frozen - so much easier!  From the freezer, put the pastry straight into a 180 degree oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes.  You will notice that the pastry has 'dried out' and started to brown slightly.  Perfection!

As much as it always seems easier to buy a pre-made pastry case, you will no longer wish to take this option once you make your own.  It is infinitely better and so much more satisfying! You can make pastry that tastes and looks better than the frozen option.  Now, don't just take my word for it...give it a go!

F. xx